Narcissus
by Wysteria Hamilton
Summary: 'wherein he saw his reflection and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image' ...One day - that was all it took, one day to bring him crashing back to reality, the reality of the life he had previously become accustomed to. The life he thought he could finally leave behind.. Callen based story, but whole team involved plus a couple of OC.
1. Chapter One

_A/N: This is my first fanfiction, adapted from a book that I started to write a loooong time ago (like 15 years!), I don't have a beta, so please dust any mistakes I have made with a little sugar and advice x_

_**Disclaimer:** All NCIS:Los Angeles characters belong to CBS, I just borrowed them for my story :)_

* * *

'I need you, please don't give up, pleeeease' she cries to him, fog billows forward and envelops her, 'HELENA!' he yells and tries to run, but he can't move, he reaches his arms towards her, desperate to grip her hand and pull her back to him, he can no longer see her, he can suddenly move, he runs into the fog, he yells her name, but she's gone 'WHERE ARE YOU?' he shouts, silence, he can hear nothing, he can see nothing, then she screams and he awakes.

The scream echoed through Callen as he awoke covered in sweat yet shivering as though he had been sleeping on a bed made of ice-cold snow. He shook his head trying to decipher where the scream had originated, quickly realising that it was from the nightmare. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, shuffling his feet in the soft pile of the carpet he pondered the events of that day of six months ago, events that had catapulted out of his control within such a short space of time. He had been so happy, he had felt security and had started to see a future that contained more than just loneliness and distrust, feelings that he never thought would be part of his world. One day - that was all it took, one day to bring him crashing back to reality, the reality of the life he had previously become accustomed to. The life he thought he could finally leave behind, not just shut away for mind protection, but packed up comfortably in little boxes that no longer needed to be opened. He almost laughed; the joke had been on him. Why on earth did he think that the happiness was his? It wasn't like he deserved it.

'Shit' he murmured, he felt so drained and tired, tired of the nightmares, tired of fighting demons from his past, tired of watching her disappear every night and not being able to find her. He couldn't recall a single night from the past six months where his sleep hadn't been plagued by the same nightmare. When awake he spent many a silent moment, playing that day through his head, positive that some small but precious detail had been overlooked, a clue which would set him free from some of the torment that his mind made him endure. She would no longer be a missing person, he would have answers and as much as it would probably finish him, he would at least be able to mourn properly. 'No, don't think like that' he said to himself, she was alive, he felt it, he knew it! The nightmares were there to remind him not to stop searching, they were her way of reaching out to him, reaching out to him through his sleep, he couldn't give up - he _wouldn't_ give up, not just for him but for Gabrielle too.

'Gabi' he said to himself, his precious saviour.

Gabrielle was Helena's 7 year old daughter, every day she looked and behaved more like her mother and in spite of everything that had happened he felt lucky to still have her in his life. Gabrielle's father, a marine, had lost his life during a tour when she was 3 and Helena's parents died when she was a teenager, with no other living relatives to take her, she had been placed with foster parents. Callen had been distraught at the idea of her being in a foster home 'Get her out of there!' he had practically shrieked at Hetty.

'All taken care of Mr Callen' she had told him, 'I have called in a favour and arranged for you to have custody of Gabrielle'.

'Me?' he had replied in astonishment.

'Yes, You' Hetty confirmed. 'But.. how can I? I have nothing in my house, I wouldn't even know where to start with taking care of a child, what about my long days?'

'Taken care of Mr Callen' Hetty had said in a firm voice 'The furnishing company will be at your house first thing tomorrow morning; they will furnish and dress your home suitably for a child to live in'.

She had then stood up from her chair and moved to the front of her desk where he was standing, taken his hand with her two smaller hands and told him with sincerity 'and Mr Callen you are not alone in this.. you have a team.. No.. you have a family, a family who want to help, who will ensure you both have all the support you will need'.

Five months, 3 weeks and 1 day ago, the furnishers and his team had appeared, filling his quiet empty house with chaos and people and by then end of the day they had turned it into a home.

Kensi and Deeks packed Gabi's things from Helena's apartment, making sure she had some pictures of her mother and father in her new home, at Callen's request they had left everything else alone, as he believed that the arrangement would be short-term, 'Helena will be home soon and she'll want her home to be there' he told them.

Sam had arrived with a swing, 'she needs a swing' he had stated when he caught Callen's bemused expression as he carried it through to the back garden.

'Needs?' Callen had asked with a small chuckle,

'Yes – needs' Sam replied smiling as he clicked the first two poles together, 'Every child loves to swing'.

Nell and Eric turned up with several bags full of groceries, 'Well you now have to eat right, Callen', Nell had declared as she skipped past him when he opened the front door.

His team had rallied in support and had really been there for him, he knew how much they cared, but between them and the furnishers, he had never seen so many people in his house at once, and was almost thankful when they had left – almost thankful, for he also remembered standing in his newly assembled home, blinking at the front door after everyone had left, wondering how the hell he was going to do this, questioning himself before he had even started.

Hetty brought Gabi the following morning, and as much as his heart ached for Helena he smiled at the little girl running around the house whooping and declaring big wows at all the rooms in her 'new' home, she had finished her circuit of the house and had launched at him with a big hug 'I love you G, Mom's gonna be stoked when she sees all this, we're gonna be soooo happy here' she had squealed'. Callen had to muster every masking skill he had ever learnt, to not let her see his heart break, for he had no idea where Helena was, who had taken her or why, all he knew was that every lead they had followed in the past seven days had gone nowhere.

Every night since, he would wake, shake off the nightmare, unscramble his confused brain and then assure himself that it was perfectly natural for a 'parent' to check on their children when they themselves awoke. He had never previously thought about being a parent, a 'father', he was so damaged that the thought of putting that onto a small human was a responsibility that he didn't want, but he had felt an immediate bond with the little girl the day he met her. She was filled with a light that illuminated any room she was in, just as her mother had lit his days with a love he never thought he would experience. Helena had amazed him with her capacity to love and how she lived life with so much optimism, despite all that she had experienced and lost. This little girl had also lost so much and like her mother, her light was still shining, Callen was determined to make sure that it never went out. He would find her mother, he would bring her home and they _will_ be a family.

After very little persuasion Callen got up, he padded quietly down the hall to Gabi's bedroom, slowly opening the door to lessen any creeks and poked his head around the door edge, she was fast asleep with her hand by her face, her long dark hair tied up in a sleep bun, jade green eyes hidden by closed eyelids, oblivious to him and the cruel world outside. She slept soundlessly, without the nightmare that had disturbed his sleep, she looked innocent and beautiful sleeping in a position that told the world she felt secure and happy. He closed the door as quietly as he had opened it, he stood motionless for a few moments, listening to the silence of the house then quietly he went downstairs.

Although it had been discussed, planned even, they had not moved in together and until Hetty stepped in with her furnishing company, the house still hadn't more than a bed and chair, yet her image was imprinted on every part of his house. Her energy made him feel alive, she had the unique ability to fill him with hope and future, she had brought life to his house and it felt like a home whenever she was around. He thought back to the day that they met. A bright beautiful sunshine with the greenest eyes he had ever seen was standing behind the counter at the Coffee shop, she hadn't said much to him, but her smile, her presence or aura or whatever it was, it had put a spring in his step for the whole day. Sam had remarked on his extraordinary good mood in feigned shock and even when Deeks had pranced around the desk area singing 'spring is in the air' it hadn't removed an ounce of the good feeling he had inside. He returned to the coffee shop every day, exchanging small talk with the sunshine, until he eventually found the courage to ask her out on a date, and to his surprise and delight, she passed him a piece of paper with her address and a time written on it.

The summer had breezed by like no other summer he had known before, trips to the beach, park, zoo, BBQ's with Sam and his family and evenings out. He had fallen for her so quickly, so deeply it had surprised him, yet it hadn't scared him. She was like sunshine to a rainy day, he felt happy, his days felt good, even his nightmares had reduced to an occasional and sleep when she was with him was no longer difficult, short or interrupted.

He arrived into the living area and again stood still, remembering how it was before it was furnished and of the day he had come home to find a picnic laid out on the floor, Helena sitting on a patchwork blanket, Gabi embracing him with a hug and an excited 'G!, your home', 'Surprise!'.

Sighing, he moved to the kitchen, he wished that he could turn back time, change what happened that day or maybe even go back further and not ask her out at all, leave her safe from his world. 'What right did he have to bring her and Gabi into his mess of a life? He took a small glass from the open shelf above the fridge and the bottle of scotch from the cupboard, putting the glass on the counter, he poured in the scotch to a third full, 'only one' he muttered to himself as he grabbed the glass and walked back into the living room. Feeling despondent and heavy hearted, he sat down, with only the shadows dimly illuminated by the street lamps, for he hadn't bothered with the light, he wanted to be in the dark. Callen lent back, allowing the back of the chair to support his head, one single tear dropping down the side of his face.

•• ƸӜƷ ••


	2. Chapter Two

_Just a little thank you to the kind people that left reviews, hit the favourite button and are following my story – here's chapter two, I hope you enjoy it just as much x_

* * *

**Six months ago..**

The man sat at the table in the coffee shop watching the woman behind the counter, she was like a bright light dancing across the water, smiling at every customer, effortlessly making each customers day just that little bit better. 'Lovely' he whispered, He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a notebook. Flipping it open to a blank page, he began to write.

Height: 5.5  
Build: Slim  
Skin: Olive, flawless  
Nose: Straight, slim and beautifully chiselled  
Teeth: Nice white colour, but not perfect – left canine, slightly crooked  
Hair: Dark  
Eyes: Perfect Green

He looked up at the waitress, Jade – her eyes were Jade green and against that dark hair, wow what a combination. She will be a wonderful addition to my collection he thought to himself. He put the book back into his pocket, got up from his seat, tossed a twenty dollar bill on the table and left.

* * *

**Present..**

'Toby, wait for me' Patti shouted to her brother. He was two years older, bossy and always steaming in front. She liked adventures, but at her own pace so that she could admire all the wonderful flowers and plants the earth had produced.

Huffing back Toby yelled 'We're supposed to be Cowboys not bloody flowerists'

Looking up from where she had found some more pretty flowers, Patti gave her brother a disapproving glare. 'I'll tell Grams if you use anymore bad words to me again, anyways, it is florists, not flowerists' Patty said cocking her head to one side in a strict manner and emphasising the perfect way to say the word she had corrected.

'I can say adult words if I want' he scowled back.

'You are not an adult'

'Am to – I'm 10, I've got two numbers in my age – that makes me an adult' Tony jumped on to a rock and with a thumb on the end of his turned up nose and blew a raspberry.

'You are not, you just think you are because you finally learnt to not wet the bed' Patty shouted back. Hardly able to contain herself, Patti hurled herself laughing on to the grass in a dramatic expression of how funny she thought she was.

'That's not true! I'll get you for that!' Tony yelled, jumping of the rock, fist balled up ready to lay one on his sister.

The earth sounded like it had let out a scream of pain when Toby landed, startled, it took him a few seconds to realise the scream wasn't coming from the ground he had just crushed – it was Patti. Toby panicked, he thought she was silly, and way too girlie, but he really did love his sister and there was definitely something wrong. Looking over the tall grass that the surrounded the edge of the lake, he could barely see her, 'Patti' he called 'What's the matter? Find a bug or snake or something? He teased as he ran towards her, but as he ran he knew deep down inside, that whatever was making Patti scream was far worse that, what exactly he couldn't begin to guess. By the time her reached her, Patti had stopped screaming and was standing still, eyes vacant. He shook her and she started to cry and pointed towards the edge of the water that was in front of her.

Turning slowly, he followed the line of her hand to where she was pointing 'Bloody Hell' Toby said.

* * *

**NCIS: Los Angeles, Office of Special Operations..**

'Yes, of course, I will send him directly' Hetty spoke into the phone 'If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask' she placed the phone onto the receiver, 'Oh My' she said to herself.

Standing at the edge of the balcony, she looked down to her team, who were bantering with each other over breakfast options; Kensi was vigorously defending her choice of Burritos.

'Fruit Loops' Callen said, while still looking at his laptop screen.

'Hey you calling us Fruit loops?' Deeks joked.

Callen ignored Deeks 'Gabi loves them, would eat them right out the box, if I didn't stop her' he continued.

Sam smiled, recalling a phone call from nearly six months ago, a panicked Callen on the other end 'What do I feed her, what's healthy ? What shouldn't I let her eat? Sam I can't do this' and now he was hearing his partner reciting her favourite breakfast cereal and how he had to stop her eating from the box. 'G wins – Fruit loops it is', he said with a chuckle.

Okay I concede - but only because its Gabi's favourite' Kensi replied with a huge smile.

Sam tilted his chair back and turned a pencil between his fingers 'Talking of fruit, Michelle text to say she picked up Gabi's costume, its ready and waiting for when you pick her up from ours tonight'.

'Costume?, Fruit?' Deeks enquired with a grin 'Please explain'

'School play about eating healthy, Gabi is an apple' Callen said smiling.

'Aww sweet' he said getting up from the edge of Kensi's desk where he had been sitting 'so are we getting an invite to see this play?' He sat down at his own desk and started routing about in his draw.

'I guess' Callen replied 'but no apple jokes, Gabi is already nervous'

'She loves my jokes' Deeks replied feigning a hurt expression.

'No apple jokes' Callen said shooting him a look that dared him to speak further as Deeks tossed the apple he had just pulled from his draw into the air.

Deeks took a bite of his apple 'What? You were talking about apples, I suddenly fancied an apple – I had one in my draw…'

'Time to shut up Deeks' Kensi said shaking her head.

Hetty also smiled, over the last few months Callen had excelled in the parenting department. She knew he would, but still, listening to him talk about even small things like the cereal and costume apples filled her with pride. She sighed, she prayed that the phone call she had just received wasn't about to turn all the pleasantry on its tail.

'Mr Deeks, LAPD would like your help in a case, Hetty called down, 'Please meet Detective Syler at Echo Park, Park Avenue entrance'.

* * *

**Echo Park..**

'She's down here' Detective Syler explained as he walked 'Couple of kids found her this morning, they are now with their grandmother and one of our female police officers, she'll take their statements there. No point subjecting the poor lil mites to more than is necessary; Coroner is already is on scene, female, mid-thirties, dark hair, green eyes, no id'.

Deeks gulped 'and you think..' he said without finishing.

Syler stopped for a second and looked at Deeks 'Which is why you were called in to help today, we are not sure that it is _not_ Helena Petrescu'.

Deeks felt sick, he could already feel his heart beginning to race 'Please, No' he said quietly as he followed Syler across the grass.

'This is Detective Deeks, NCIS/LAPD liaison' Syler said, introducing Deeks to the woman knelt on the ground next to the victim.

'Melody Shaw, Coroner' the woman replied without looking up, 'Liaison?' she asked quizzically.

'Long story' Deeks replied, the sick feeling beginning to move from his stomach to his throat as he looked down at the scene.

The woman lay on her side facing away from him; her head close to the water's edge resting on her left arm which was bent towards her face from the elbow point, the right arm was lain out as if reaching to the water. She was wearing a white Grecian style dress that appeared to float away from her body; her dark hair which contrasted the white was partly going over her right shoulder, the rest laid on the ground flowing towards him, from his position he couldn't see her face fully and after what Syler had just told him he really didn't want to. With his heart starting to pound even harder, he moved closer to the water edge so he could see it.

With an audible sigh of relief he said 'No' 'No it isn't her. He stood up 'Cause of death?' he looked to the coroner, who was still writing notes.

'Heart attack' at first guess, but an autopsy will confirm it' Melody said without looking up from her notebook.

'Heart attack?' but she is so young, what can cause that?'

'Many things, but in this case I would say it was a large injection of air' Melody carefully moved some of the woman's hair from the side of her face and pointed to a small red and purplish mark on her neck.

'That can really kill someone?' he asked with seriousness.

'Yes, if it is injected fast enough that the blood cannot disperse it.

'Anything else you can tell me now?' Deeks asked.

Melody stood up 'She wasn't killed here, she was just presented here'

'Presented?' Deeks eyes narrowed as he took a step back to take a wider look at the scene.

'I say that because her hair has been brushed and splayed out, the make-up is fresh and I would even say the dress is new and of course the position of the body – its carefully displayed, like a piece of art, hence I say presented'. Melody paused for a moment while she shut the lid and clipped the sides of her tool box, 'Also this is not the first woman that we have found _presented_ in this exact way. She is unfortunately the third in the last two weeks'. She turned to the paramedics that were waiting on the path and motioned them to come over 'Okay, you can take her now'.

* * *

**LAPD Police Department..**

Deeks studied the two pictures of the previous victims Charlotte Delaney and Marcie Williams, the women were in their mid-thirties with dark hair that fell long past their shoulders, however the similarities ended there. Both women were extremely attractive, but in looks they were very different. Charlotte had a tanned complexion with dark green-grey eyes set on a heart-shaped face and a straight, slightly broad but cute nose. Marcie's eyes were a light pale green and smaller, her face was delicate and thin with a slimmer petite nose, her skin was what would be described as porcelain. He turned through the file, stopping at the crime scene photos, as the coroner had told him earlier, the women were 'presented' in the same way as the woman that had been found that morning and wearing white dresses – the same white dress.

He swivelled the chair round towards Syler who was now standing behind him 'Anything special about the dresses? – they look identical, know where they were brought?'

'To be honest, there's been so little time between the discovery of the bodies and with case overloads, it wasn't until the third woman was found this morning that we began to connect the dots, as such', Syler paused for a moment and then pointed to the picture of Charlotte Delaney. 'The first victim, Charlotte, was found two weeks ago in Echo Park, like our young woman from this morning'. Moving his finger to indicate the second photo he continued 'Marcie, the second victim, was found last week at MacArthur Park Lake which is under another precincts jurisdiction, It wasn't until today when Alicia Stephens was found in that same position that we looked further' he handed Deeks a file 'Might as well add this to that case file'.

Deeks took the now identified Alicia Stephens file and put it on the desk in front of him. He opened the file to see a picture of yet another attractive dark haired woman with green eyes, he held his breath for a second, the similarities between Alicia and Helena was unnerving.

'Excuse me, I need to make a call' he said to Syler as he got up from the desk he was borrowing.

He paced back and forth outside the precinct doors while he waited for Hetty to answer the other end.

'Yes Mr Deeks' she answered with a stiff and quiet tone.

'It's not her' he replied firmly.

'Oh thank goodness' Hetty responded.

Deeks took a moment to breath 'Hetty, the woman they found this morning, the likeness to Helena is uncanny and she's not the only victim, there's two others and..' Deeks took another breath 'all three women have green eyes, varying shades, but all green'.

'I see' Hetty said with what he thought was a choke in her voice.

'I want to stay on this case' Deeks spoke with determination 'Actually I think I have to stay on this case, just a gut feeling'.

'I agree Mr Deeks' Hetty sighed 'I will let the team know that the loan of you to the LAPD will be for a little longer'.

• ƸӜƷ ••


	3. Chapter Three

_Once again, thank you for reading my story and for your reviews x_

* * *

**LAPD Precinct**

Deeks had been looking at the file for what he felt like was hours, he was missing something but just couldn't put his finger on what it was, glancing around the room quickly, he tucked the file into his jacket. Time to get some extra special help he said to himself as he left the LAPD building. The drive to the NCIS special operations building had taken the longest time, he prayed that Callen and the rest of the team were out on a case so he didn't have to see or lie to Callen. As he walked into the building and felt a rush of relief when he saw their empty desks, he hurried up the stairs towards the operations room, willing them not to return before he had gotten what he needed and had left.

* * *

**NCIS: Los Angeles, Office of Special Operations..**

'Hey' Nell said when she saw him enter 'Only me to help you today, Eric's on a course, something to do with recent software upgrades which…'

'Sorry no chatty from me today, need a discreet favour if you don't mind' Deeks interrupted her mid-flow.

'Sure, what do you need?' Nell said, a little surprised at Deeks abruptness.

'Could you run a search on missing women, 30–40, dark brown or black hair, green eyes, Los Angeles area'.

'Any other parameters' she asked, 'because that's not a lot to go on'.

'There isn't a lot more than that to go on' Deeks replied while leafing through the file he had in his hand 'Barring that they all have green eyes, I can't see any other connection for these women, wait..., one sec, geez why didn't I see it before, you idiot' he said chastising himself 'all three went missing in the same month – March of this year and, they were all found exactly one week apart' he went silent for a moment, 'add women that went missing in February, March and April of this year'

Nell looked at him, trying to figure out what he was rambling about. 'Right' she said and started tapping away at her keyboard, a few seconds later she spoke again 'There are five women that fit those parameters' she said when the results appeared on her screen. Nell read the list out to Deeks;

'Charlotte Delaney 36, reported missing March 1st, by her boss William Cranworth after she didn't return to her office following a lunchtime meeting at the Palomino Restaurant, Wilshire Boulevard. Mr Cranworth had escorted Miss Delaney to her car after the meeting. They were supposed to discuss and finalise details of the meeting when they got back to the office, after several attempts to contact her, he was concerned, so went back to the restaurant, where he found her purse and phone on the ground next to her still parked car.

'Marcie Williams 35, reported missing March 8th, by Andrew Marsh, fiancé, when she didn't arrive home after an afternoon out with friends, he didn't get concerned until later on, assuming that she was still with her friends. At around 9pm he had called her friends who told him that she had bought him a gift that she couldn't wait to give him and had left them at around 4pm to head home.

'Alicia Stephens 37, reported missing March 15th, by Carl Stephens, husband. He had received a call from their son's kindergarten, telling him that Alicia hadn't picked their child Billy up. He left his office immediately, collected his son and went straight home, expecting her to be there and held up for some reason. When he found she wasn't there, he'd then phone some of the other mothers, none of which had seen her since dropping Billy off in the morning.

'Felicity Mason 33, reported missing March 22nd, by Gerald Mason, father in law. She'd gone to meet a friend for coffee at the Café De Louis Coffee house, but was late to an important board meeting, the business is family owned and it was completely out of character for her to do that, so he had phoned the friend that she was supposed to meet, who told him that she hadn't turned up'.

'Deeks...' Nell gasped and blinked for a moment then in a whispered tone she continued with the last name and report summary. 'Helena Petrescu 34, reported missing 30th March, by Gina Ramirez, work colleague. Helena had gone outside for fresh air during her break, when she didn't come back, Gina had gone to get her and discovered one of Helena's shoes and her work cap by the dumpster in the car park behind the Café de Louis coffee house where they worked'.

Nell turned her chair to face Deeks, her eyes a little widened 'You're working on Callen's case? Does he know?'

Deeks looked at her without responding then returned to the file started leafing through pages again, turning back to her screen, she knew the answer to her question already 'okay then' she said trying to regain her composure, she stared at the screen, 'Deeks!' Nell almost shouted 'They were taken exactly 7 days apart, so that means...' her voice faltering to a silence before she could finish her sentence.

Deeks put his hand to his forehead, feeling the sickness from that morning beginning to rise up again, he continued for her '…and in the same order they were abducted, Shit... if this is the same abductor, the women are still alive, but it leaves us just six days to find them before...'

Deeks shook his head in an effort to shake off the sickness that was now lurking at the bottom of his throat. He lifted his head and looked directly at the screen not wanting to catch Nell's expression, 'I wasn't sure that it _was_ Callen's case, but I think you just helped to confirmed that it is' he spoke barely being able to hide the angst in his voice 'The coffee house – can you find out if the other women had anything to do with or visited it?'

She leant back in her chair and blew out the breath she had been holding 'I should've realised just from the description you gave. I just didn't put it together'.

'Nell... Coffee house, please' Deeks interrupted.

Nell closed her mouth and turned back to the keyboard, a few seconds later she had found nothing 'No information talking about the coffee house, but it does say that Felicity Mason was meeting a friend for Coffee, Marcie Williams was out with friends, maybe they did go there?'

'How didn't we see this when Helena went missing?' she looked at Deeks as if he would give her the answer.

'I can't believe this, what are you going to do, does Hetty know what's going on?' Nell asked.

'Send what you have to my phone and keep digging, as for Hetty, yes she knows, well some of it, gonna fill her in with the rest now' Deeks said as he walked towards the operations room door, he stopped and turned back towards the techs desk 'Nell, Callen can't know anything about this, okay?'.

Nell Nodded in response, turning back to her screen she could feel the tears welling up 'keep it together' she said to herself.

* * *

The man stood at the top of the stairs to his basement, below were the five rooms which made up his specialised gallery, each one set up to give him the ability to control the subjects physiologically leaving their beauty undamaged. Four of the women had been easy to manipulate and control, but then he had known them before, so he knew what they would be most susceptible to, but the last one, the waitress… the afterthought, he didn't know her, yet she was the one he wanted to break the most, she just wouldn't give in and she constantly pushed him with her defiance.

She literally had nothing to do with his original plan, but on the day he was collecting his last target, he saw her and those eyes - eyes that matched his own perfectly and instantly he had wanted her, then later after investigating the fall-out of the missing women, he realised he had literally tripped over and gained the most valuable piece for his plan, he could get to her through him - the woman that was ultimately to blame for sending them on that mission in the first place. He could get to her through her beloved agent.

It had taken a while to find the others, since they had disbanded gone to different units after that last mission. He had followed them, taking notes and putting together the gallery until the right time to take the women came, and it pleased him the men remained clueless as to what was going on, but then he knew none of them saw each other anymore, not since that day.

He thought back to another day almost five years ago, before the incident - an enjoyable day where the sun had been shining and he was at a barbeque with his team. Something had been mentioned about all their green eyes and he had felt at the time that it was almost mystical that his team members girlfriends' all had eyes that were varying shades of green, but in tune with the nickname his colleagues had given him, he had felt that his own eyes were the most beautiful, a perfect Jade green. The memory suddenly made him feel sad, his face grimacing as he felt the anger and woe well up inside, no longer was anything about him perfect and they were to blame – all of them.

Six months was enough to have perfected his plan and to have indulged his own enjoyment and now it was time to execute the rest of the plan. Next week he would display the next piece and soon they would all know why and feel the pain that he had endured, for after he had presented what was beautiful he would destroy them as they had destroy him.

He looked down the wide corridor which contained the five viewing rooms, a conditioning room and a panel on the back wall where he could control everything. Each room was adorned with mirrors on every wall, lights across the ceiling and a speaker so that he could control his subjects, they were built specially for the beautiful art pieces. However, now he was putting the final parts of his plan into action, three of the rooms were now empty.

He walked to his remaining galleries. The first woman was sleeping, lying on her right side facing the window; she looked so beautiful and serene that he decided not to wake her. To the left of the one sided window was a section that he could open, enabling him to pass meals and other things to his guests without having to open the door at the back of the room. He opened the slot and placed a meal tray on it.

He moved to the last gallery, she was now the most important to him, she was as beautiful as he had once been and he actually loved her, so much that he knew it would be difficult to let her go. As he approached the window he panicked slightly as the room appeared to be empty, within a few seconds he noticed her foot sticking out from under the metal frame bed. Grabbing the microphone that was positioned to right of the room, he said 'stand up', the woman pulled her foot in, but didn't come from under the bed, even after six months she was still fighting and it irritated him that she would not relinquish control. He repeated 'Stand up' his voice a little meaner, still she did not move. 'Last chance my beauty, if you do not stand, you will leave me no choice but to remind you that I am in control' the last of his words even harsher than before. The woman crawled and half scrambled out from under the bed and stood up, she was facing him and scowling, but he knew the only thing she could see was her own reflection. 'Thank you my beauty' he said with a calmer softer tone, he then opened the slot and placed another meal tray, speaking into the microphone again he said 'eat, you have 30 minutes'.

* * *

**NCIS: Los Angeles, Office of Special Operations..**

'So it appears that this is mostly likely to do with the disappearance of Helena' Hetty responded to Deeks briefing.

'Yes, do we tell him or continue to keep him out of the loop?' Deeks asked, his voice a little shaky, 'I really don't want to be around when he finds out we've been hiding something from him and you know he will'.

'Yes, yes he will' Hetty sighed, 'I will speak to him myself'.

'I'm going to head back to the…'

Before Deeks could finish his sentence, Nell appeared behind him 'I don't think this has anything to do with the colour of their eyes' she stated 'I looked into their family lives a bit more and discovered something that I think is more likely the reason, although I still can't connect Callen or Helena to it' she continued as they walked to the ops room.

On the big screen were four profiles of men in Marine uniforms, Nell expanded the first one.

'Captain Thomas Delaney, husband of Charlotte Delaney'.

She expanded the next picture '1st Lieutenant Andrew Marsh, fiancé of Marcie Williams'

Nell glanced quickly at Hetty, who was now holding her hand to her chest, turning back to face the screen she enlarged the next profile.

'Second lieutenant Carl Stephens, husband of Alicia Stephens' bringing up the final profile she said,

'First Lieutenant Henry Mason, husband of Felicity Mason'

Nell turned to face Hetty and Deeks 'They were part of a specialised recovery group, Marine Corp, operating out of Camp Pendleton, however their missions are classified and I haven't been able to access that information yet. I do know that the group disbanded after a mission in 2009 and are no longer serving together, also there was another marine in the group'. Nell tapped away on her keyboard for a couple of minutes and then the final profile appeared on the screen.

'Adrian Barnham. Injured in a classified mission and medically discharged in 2009, whereabouts unknown.

'Narcissus' Hetty said, her gaze not leaving the screen in front of them.


End file.
